Stereotype plate



Nov. 13, 1928.

J. J. HALLlwl-:LL

STEREOTYPE PLATE Patented Nov. 13, 1928.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN J. HALLIWELL, OF TUCKAHOE, YORK, ASSIGNOR TO R. HOE & C0., INC., OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF YORK.

STEREO'IYPE PLATE.

Application led December 14, 1926. Serial No. 154,666.

rIhis invention relates to certain improvements in printing machines for printing on a web with a continuous pattern.

In printing certain classes of products, it is desirable to have a printing mechanism which will print a continuous pattern, as for instance in printing wrappers for various articles such as' bread wrappers, soap wrappers, etc., the usual margin spaces being omitted. It is further desirable in this class of printing that the pattern as a whole or a part of the pattern may be lchanged with-v out changing the whole printing surface or removing the printing cylinder from the machine.

It is the especial object ofthe present invention to providean improved mechanism for printing 'a continuous pattern on a web in which there is employed an limprovedy arrangement of plates and means for holding the plates in position so that a part of the pattern or all of the pattern may be changed without removing the plate support or without it being necessary to remove the entire printingA surface.

A further obj ect of the invention is to provide an improved'construction for support-l ing the plates so that the plates may be readily placed in position andv removed therefrom, and one which may be capacitated to carry two printing` platesvwide or lmore than two printing plates wide.

lVith these and other objects not specifically referred to in view, the invention consists in certain novel parts, arrangements and combinations which will be described in connection with the accompanying drawings and the novel features pointed out in the claims hereunto annexed.

In these drawings-4 Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a plate cylinder showing one embodiment of the invention;

Figure 2 is a partly broken side view of the cylinder shown in Fig. 1, and

Figure 3 is a sectional View, the section being taken on line 3 3 of Fig. 1.

Referring now to these drawings, the invention will include a printing plate supportshown in the form of a cylinder 1. with which cooperates an impression cylinder 2, these cylinders being supported on suitable shafts, the shaft of the printing cylinder bei ing shown at' 3, which are suitably mounted in proper framing, not shown.

In accordance with the invention, there is provided a plate arrangement for this cylinder in which the plates are so formed and supported on the cylinder as to leave no margin spaces either around the cylinder or ywidthwise thereof so that these plates will print a continuous pattern.. In constructions embodying theinvention, furthermore, there will be provided a plurality of these plates so that by removing all the plates from the cylinder the design to be printed may be changed as a whole, or by removing one or more plates any desired part of the design may be changed, thus doing away with, the necessity of removing the entire printing surface or removing the entire printing surface from its supporting cylinder. The plates may be of any desired number and may be arranged in various wayson the cylinder. Referring to Figs. y1 and 2, there is shown on the upper half of the drawing a construction in which there are two plates 4, 5 used widthwise of the cylinder, and in the lower half a construction in which four narrower plates 6, 7 8 and 9 are employed. With this arrangement, it will be seen that the pattern to be printed may be variedwithin wide limits without removing all the plates froml the cylinder, or the entire pattern can be changed by the removal of all the plates and the substitution of others without, however, necessitating the removal of the cylinder.

These plates, it will be observed, are trimmed so that their meeting edges closely abut both widthwise of the cylinder and around the cylinder. In order to support the plates, a novel arrangement of clamping bars is provided, in which the bar projects above `trative of the arrangement. As shown, the

plates 4. 5 are undercut to form beveled recesses 10, 11 and projecting ledges 12, 13, which are trimmed to closely abut. These are formed, as shown, on the inner edges of the plates, and the beveled recesses 10, 11

receive the beveled sides 14, 15 of a clamp ring 16 arranged centrally of the cylinder, by which the inner edges of the plates are secured `to the cylinder'. 'It will'be observed that -the central ring 16 projects'beyond the cylinder a distance less than the thickness off-.the plate, thus permitting the ledges 12, 13 to overlap on the bar with their adjacent edges abutting. The outer ends of the plates are beveled, as indicated at .17, to receivethe usual shouldered plate clip 18, which is operated by means of the usual screw rod 19 to clamp the plates against theclamp ring 16.

This `"construction `will be adopted-on the other side of the cylinder wherethe cylinder is arranged to carry two plates wide and two platesaround. f

Under some circumstances, it may be desirab'le to print `'four plates vwide on the cylinder and a construction by which this may be effected is shown in fthe drawings. As there shown, the cylinder is provided Iwith 'four plates wide on one 'half 'and two plates wide on the other half. It rwill be understood, however, that Vthis is only illlustrative and that the plates may tbe-ar- I:ranged either two plates Wide on both -sidesV /olf fthe ycylinders `or yfour plates wide ofn 'both 4sides of the cylinder. As shown, fneferring to It-he llower half of Fig. 1, the `.inside ledges of vthe inside plates 7, 8 are provided with undercut shoulders 20, vwhich .f-errga-ge the `proj-ections'1't,'15 on the -clamp ring 16 fand with ledges 21, the meeting edgeso'f lwhich vabut on top of the bar in `operated vby :the usual screw rods 25.A

fthesame way as do the inside edges ofthe plates 14,15, before 4referred to. The router wedges of the inner plates f7, V8 yand the inner fedges -fof the outer plates `(3, v9 are similarly .formetl. These plates, liiewever, engage Vprojections 22 on sliding clamps 23 which .slide-in `recesses 24 formed in the cylinder waflls, 4the route-r 'edges yo'f the outer plates 6, .9 being engaged `and being locked 'by the -\usual.clfips, similar to the clips or clamps 18, fhefor'e referred to, these latter clamps being In plating the cylinderwvith vfour plates wide, the in/ner pilates `are first positioned against the central ring 16, and the outerplates then positioned against the .clips l-Wlhcn fthe roids'Qnare manipulated, therefore, the outer plates move inwardly, thus clamping all Ffour plates solidlyV inv position on the cylinder.

Means are provided for reventinm a movementiof the (plates around the cylinder,

which means 'may be of various characters. In the Kparticular construction shown, the cylinder has set therein a pair of oppositely disposed straight sided bars 26, 2'?, 4which extend lengthwise of the cylinder. These bars., @as shown in I3, project vabove `the fsurface-ofithe cylinder sofasto form a stop for the plates, but project only a portion of the thickness of a plate. rhe long edges of the plates are formed with straight sided shoulders 28, which engage Vthe hars 26, 27,

:that-:a printing surface has been provided.

which covers the entire circumference of the cylinder so fthataa=continuous pattern can be printed. Furthermore, with the arrangement ofthe plates described, all the :plates maybe removed without removingth'e cylinder, or any -oneof plates-may :be removed for f changing fthe pattern without requiring the remainder of the plates to be frem'oved from the cylinder;

' While the `invention has been sho- 1 and described lin its preferred form, fit 4will 'be understood 'that certain variations fin the arrangement and number of the platesfmay be employed, and that various constructions mayloejused for locking vthe plates in position, `so lthat fthe invention 'is inet :to :be restricted to the specific form and yarrangement of the parts illustrated and described. What I claim is: y 1. In :a printing machine, the 4.cozmloiination of a 'pla-te cylinder, :a clamp rbar :extending a-round a the `cylinder and projecting above the surface thereof less than the :thicknessy vof a plate, a plurality of printing :plates arranged von the 4cylinder and provided with adj acent shoulders engaging the bar and with abutting .projections loeyond the shoulders `so Y las to form' -a` vcontinuous printing surface, and straight 4plates arranged -widthwise 'thereof :on one side of the cylinder softhatsthere iszno margin space between the plates, a greater .fnumber :of plates arranged widthwise on :the-other lsi de of the cylinder so thatfthere isnofmargin Y space between the plates, theV plates onlboth sides of the cylinder being arranged :so that there :is no lmargin space between the plates `longitudina lly of `the cylinder, .andfstraight sided bars extending longitudinally oft-he llcylinder ifor` Apreventing peripheral Imovement of the'plates. l

In Aa printing m'aehine,the combination ofv a plate cylinder, a 4clamp rbar Vextending around the cylinderzand projrectingzabove the siirfaee .thereof vless .than t'he thickness of .fa

'with .adjacent shoulders engaging the .doarV and with abutting projections beyond the shoulders so as to form a continuous printing surface, said plates also being formed on their long edges with straight shoulders and abutting projections extending beyond the shoulders, and straight sided bars projecting above the cylinder less than the thickness of plate with which the Straight Shouners of the plates enga-geor preventing a movement of the plates around the cylinder.

' In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand.

v JOHN J. HALLIWELL. 

